Hunter Tatic II
by Lil Nezumi
Summary: UR/AU - Hunter x Hunter - Part II of Hunter Tactics -  Road trip...where? - Xander chooses to use his Hunter credentials and take a trip somewhere else after the graduation debacle.


**Title: **Hunter Tactics II

**Character:**Xander-centered

_**MY Inspiration:**_ Buffy the Vampire Slayer (all media forms), Hunter x Hunter (all media forms)

**Disclaimer:** This is my standard disclaimer; I don't own anything in regards to the sources of _**MY**__**Inspiration**_. All publically recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All the characters, worlds, base concepts or general ideas are just a bit food for the writing bug. This story is pure fiction and is in no way meant to copy or reflect real life, events or people, should this happen then obviously it is pure coincidence.

From here on, disclaimer will not be repeated.

**Author's Note:** See author profile for preferred gender pairing type and why, that is if you really want to know.

**Summary:** YAHF - Hunter x Hunter - Road trip...where? - Xander chooses to use his Hunter credentials and take a trip somewhere else after the graduation debacle.

**Speech Legend: **(This is the standard by which I write my stories and therefore you will not see this repeated in future chapters)  
>"Normal"<br>'_Thoughts_'  
>(…Other LanguagesMind Speak/Alternate Speech Patterns like sign language…)

Xander - Hunter X Hunter - Xander - Hunter X Hunter

**A Journey Begins With A Step**

Xander - Hunter X Hunter - Xander - Hunter X Hunter

Xander was lying on his bed, facing the old ceiling, flipping his Hunter credential cards and wondered just what he should do for his summer before entering the world of adult responsibility. Finally he'd finished his mandatory attendance in the Hellish, soul-sucking dimension, called High School. The girls had trips planned, but he was at a loss of what he should consider doing.

He knew that he'd like to travel and had saved up enough money to go, but for some reason the Hunter ID cards in his hands, plus the abilities he'd gained were calling him to go somewhere else. '_Hmm,_' he thought. '_Should I try to figure out the dimension they came from or maybe find another to visit? Wonder if there are some things that I can Hunt for, like treasure in some other dimension. I don't just want to be a Bounty Hunter type. That'd be a trap far too easy to fall into here on Earth._'

His phone rang and when he answered it he was surprised at just who was on the other end. "Hello," he said. "Who's this?"

"Xander," Cordelia Chase said. "We need your help."

"What, who and finally huh," he said.

"It's Cordy," the woman said. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about me?"

"Not at all," Xander replied. "But why are you calling me and who's the '_we_' that needs my help?"

"Angel Investigations needs your help," Cordelia said. "So you better get your ass to L.A. now, mister."

"I don't understand," Xander said, confused about why she'd be calling him on behalf of '_Deadboy_', who else did he know with the name of Angel. Still he played dumb and asked, "Who investigations?"

"Look I don't have time to explain everything by phone," she said. "Take down this address and go there as quick as you can and help them out or else, mister." She rattled off a street address and building name so fast that he wasn't able to write it down before she hung up.

He was left standing there blinking at the phone's receiver and the buzzing of the dial tone. He shrugged. Then he found a free piece of paper and pen to write down the location that he'd been given. The girls weren't even in town, so he called Rupert Giles and left a message with him about where he was heading for the summer.

Xander already been thinking of what to pack for any kind of trip, but re-thought the needs for this curretnt one. He changed his mind about very few things and selected a seaman's duffle bag. He put in everything he thought he might need, like two extra changes of clothes, lots of underwear and socks...etc. He made sure that he had the basics for emergency camping like a waterproof canvas that would be perfect for a lean-to when weather chose not to cooperate.

He packed quickly and lightly too, having practiced doing this for a while now. He just wanted to make sure that every item use that had been shared and left behind in his mind from that Halloween night still worked. However it took time to find equivalent items in this world to replace the swords and toy fishing rod.

He did stock up on some waterproof journals and things that could write in them. He knew that some time in his near future he'd need to be able to make notes on things. '_A good Hunter should have something like this on hand_,' he'd thought at the time of the purchase. '_You never know when you'd encounter ruins that needed to be reported or researched_.'

The Hunter ID cards may have worked for him on Earth, but he never tested them out. He didn't want it known that he the same kind of power that many international spies or mercenaries have.

However it now looked like he'd have venture forth with them and whatever Earth cash he could carry. Credit from using the cards was well and good, but something of value for trade or cash was better, especially if he was about to go into unknown territory.

Xander - Hunter X Hunter - Xander - Hunter X Hunter

Nearly twenty-fours later in demon dug tunnels below the sewers of Los Angeles, Xander was fighting...well he didn't really know what he was fighting, but they were nasty. Standing beside him was a tall black man with a double-bladed axe and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce of all people, who was using a hand-held cross bow firing it from a distance behind them.

'_How did I get suckered into a rescue mission to find Angel,_' he thought, tearing apart one of the demons with one of the swords he was swinging. '_Swarm like in their attacks,_' he thought. He paused at a tiny lull in the battle and with a sudden instinctive insight he pulled out one of his cigarettes that he used to keep mosquitoes away during the humid nights.

"Would you look at that," Charles Gunn said, as he watched the demons shift away from the human that was smoking a funky smelling cigarette.

"Interesting," Wesley said. "What are in those?"

Xander pulled out a pouch of herbs and tossed it to the ex-Watcher. "Here," he said. "Dip the tips of your arrows in there, light them up and send them in their midst. We might have a chance to rescue '_Captain Hair-Gel_' if you do that."

Wesley noted that the other two had started to fight the swarm again. He took several steps back, pulled out a bundle of arrows, dipped the tips in an oil pouch at his hip and then dipped the tips in the mixed herbs he'd been given by Xander. He lit each arrow and directed them into the mass of creatures and they immediately reacted to the smoke and scent coming from them. The demons fell back and soon were running through the sewers tunnels quickly to get away from the odour that obviously was offensive to their senses.

"Well that works," Xander said. He wiped his blades quickly, but efficiently. Then he pulled out three small incense burners on chains, loaded them with what looked like a wax candle, which he'd just rolled in the herbs. Actually was only a bit loose oil based wax. He pulled and stretched it like play-dough and then jelly-rolled them with some of those herbs inside, including a slow burning wick.

He lit one, passed the ceramic burner to Gunn and then the other he handed to Wesley.

"I'll lead," he said slowly swinging the smoky stuff in front of him. "This should keep most of them away. You can clip those ones to your belts and not worry about getting burned." The other tried it and noted that the Sunnydaler was telling the truth.

"How did you ever come up with this idea," Wesley asked as they headed deeper in to the sewers where the vampire with the soul, known as Angel was supposed to have been taken for some kind of supposed sacrificial spell.

"Mosquitoes," Xander said. "Sunnydale had quite a bit this year. Well that and Willow was using something similar in her house. Something about clearing the air of bad vibes or spirits, but I thought that these could be put to better use."

"Right," Gunn said. "I'm not going to complain about the smell because they're obviously working. How far are we now?"

"A few more turns," Wesley said after consulting his map. "That way," he pointed in the south-west direction.

Twenty minutes later the arrived in a centralized area that looked like a pit had been dug. Xander pulled out a folding spyglass and hissed in a whisper, "Tell me that isn't some kind of portal to Hell."

"What," Wesley gasped very softly. He took the spyglass and looked at the grating that the larger of the bi-pedal demons were walking around and chanting. The metallic grates had rune marks and glyphs that looked positively ominous. "That's not possible."

"What isn't," Gunn asked.

"What," Xander said.

"It looks like a Hellmouth gate," Wesley said. "It looks slightly different from the ones I've seen in the Watchers' books though."

"I don't believe that the Watcher books would have all the gate images listed or referenced," Xander said taking back his spyglass and tucking it away. "These burners are about to give away our position, so what's the plan, Stan?"

"I'll shoot smoking arrows from here," Wesley said. "Gunn you go left and Xander go right. Whatever that spell is, the vibe or energy coming from it, is very bad and negative. You two meet in the middle and free Angel. I'll do what I can to destroy the creatures that are protecting the spell-casters."

"Meet you in the middle," Xander said. He removed the sheaths from his two swords and zipped down the right side of the place. "Just keep that incense burning, it'll help against the bigger swarms."

"Gotcha," Gunn said. "Meet ya on the flip side."

The two men ran down opposite ends of the room. Taking all precautions they could they managed to bloody the walls and floors with demonic bits and pieces, plus a lot carcasses from the demons that attacked them. All demons in the area were trying to prevent the cancellation of the spell that would increase their powers ten-fold, but two humans and something else was preventing them.

The oldest of the spell-casters was getting annoyed when the ones that were acting as his magical energy support, '_magical batteries_', if you will, suddenly disappeared one by one. He felt the light of their magic flicker and others just vanished like puffs of smoke. He knew exactly what happened to them, but he couldn't stop the spell now. It was the gamble that he'd agreed on before this whole thing began.

He neared the last vocal stanza, when he felt the body and blood of the souled-vampire disappear from its supposedly fixed position. He then received a face full of dust that caused him to sneeze violently in the middle of his chanting. Normally he'd have no problem chanting while ignoring the need to sneeze, but this was different. He had no control when he sneezed consecutively several times and that just halted enter spell instantly.

His remaining '_magical batteries_', all were sneezing too. That was enough for the spell to change its course, effectively back firing their entire plan to increase their magical and physical strengths. The magical energy that had gathered raged and twisted.

It drained most of the demons and wizards in the area while looking for a way out of the cavern, which had seals at every entrance in order to prevent the spell from escaping or spreading. Initially the seals were to confine the spell to the demons within the room, now it confined the demons too because of the markings that they had painted on their bodies that would allow the spell to be absorbed.

The spell burned a path in the air and the three rescuers, plus original victim, escaped quickly down another tunnel. The entrance to that chamber collapsed and then the ground rumbled. It lifted and shifted under their running feet. They were soon trying to outrun something that felt like an earthquake.

The trio paused some distance away, as Wesley used magic to return most of Angel's blood, which had been drained into contained, back inside of him. He hoped to get the vampire's healing properties to work.

"He's going to need more blood now," he said, once his spell was finished. "I don't know where..."

"I told Cordy to go to the blood bank," Xander said. "There should be several pints waiting at the hotel when we get back."

"All right," Wesley said. He paused and then waited a moment before saying, "I think that the gate was buried."

"It probably was," Xander said. "But we'd need to be sure before making any declaration on it."

"That magic was powerful," Gunn said with a shudder. "It reminded me of the end scene of '_Raiders of the Lost Ark_'. I saw demons getting vaporized by the funky lights. Those lights looked like were acting like heat seeking missiles."

"I'd noticed that," Xander said. He looked to where the ex-Watcher was wrapping up some of the seeping wounds on Angel, who was still unconscious. "Do you think the ground is stable now, Wes?"

"I think so," the older man said. "But I don't know where we are."

"If we go in that direction," Xander pointed roughly north-west, "We might be able to reach the human made tunnels."

"Help wrap up the rest of his wounds," Wesley said to the other two. They did and once they were done they'd be able to leave the area. Xander and Gunn placed the vampire's arms around their shoulders and carried the larger person between them, while the ex-Watcher lead the way in Xander's pointed general direction.

It took about an hour to reach the poured concrete of the human sewers. They'd long since been inundated with the smell. It looked like the closer they got the more awake that Angel seemed to become as the vampire twitched and emitted growls of displeasure at the smell.

The incense burners were soon extinguished and returned to their owner, while they took a break to drink some fresh water that they had on hand. They were munching on a couple of power bars that Cordy had insisted they always have on hand for when fights like that ended. "It'll rebuild your energy levels more quickly," she'd told them all the time. "You'll see that I'm right about that."

This fact had been proven time and again, plus no one wanted to argue with her when it obviously worked. They'd need the energy anyway.

Angel was leaned up against a solid wall of stone. One minute he was completely unconscious and suddenly he was brought to the here and now, as soft talking voices nearby told him that he was no longer captive. "Yeah, she was forceful when we were still in High School," a voice said. "Still quick tempered and expects you to do the jumping through the hoops thing, to be in her exalted presence."

"Maybe it's just because she can make you do things of that nature," Angel heard Wesley saying. "We normally do not, although there are times..." The man sighed.

"I hear yah," the voice replied. "What about you Chuckster?"

"I'm telling you," Gunn said. "One more attempt at giving me nickname and I'm wiping the floor of the hotel with your guts."

"I'd like to see you try," a man replied. It was then that Angel realized that it was Xander Harris talking to the other two. "If Deadboy over there can't stop me, what makes you think you have a chance?"

"Harris," Angel growled out. "What hell are you doing here?"

"See," Xander said. "I knew we should have bet on the first thing that'd be coming out of his mouth."

The Scooby saw yellow eyes that gleamed from the dark corner that the vampire had been sitting in and then the demon leapt out to attack him. The Hunter was ready and quickly flipped the weakened vampire over. He ended up sitting on Angel's chest with the tip of his sword's wooden sheath pointed solidly at the area of the heart. "Behave you idiot," Xander said. "I so am willing to kill you right now, despite the weepy tears that'd greet me Sunnydale because of your cheap ass attempts to kill me."

Angel growled once and sighed, "You win. How come you're always faster?"

"Practice," Xander said. It was true. He'd practiced everything that he could. Most of the abilities he'd gained would have withered and those gifts were not to be squandered. Besides, he'd found the training fun, most of the time.

Gunn and Wesley looked at the two of them shocked by what just happened. "Um, Angel," Wesley questioned. "What's going on?"

"Xander," Gunn said and then he looked at the man that came from Sunnydale, who'd been summoned by their '_secretary slash receptionist_' (...i...). "You moved faster than him," he pointed at the vampire. "What gives... I mean why didn't you move that way down in the tunnels?"

"You guys wouldn't have been able to keep up," Xander told them frankly. "I couldn't leave either of you behind."

"Maybe we should get out of here now," Angel said. "You want to let me up now?"

Xander grinned, showing a lot of teeth. He pressed the sword sheath down on the chest once more for good measure before letting the vampire up. He stood up to put his weapons away and said, "We should get going or else Cordy will snap a heel on those shoes of hers by pacing. Then she'd charge you for a more expensive '_designer_' pair, if you're not careful."

"She's already done that with some sort of shirt she once wore," Angel groused.

Gunn laughed as he stood up and said, "Hey I remember that. It was funny what happened back then."

Wesley just shook his head and said, "We have a bit of research to do too. I want to know what the spell was that those demons were attempting to cast and what the repercussions are for their failure. I also want to research that gate."

Angel turned to walk down a particular tunnel and the other three only followed him because they knew that his senses were sharper than their own.

Although the ex-Watcher had his suspicions about Xander's abilities, still he figured that the young man would tell them, if he wanted them to know about it.

Gunn didn't care about them. He was just relieved to be getting out of the tunnels soon.

Xander had been pushed to get to L.A. quickly and to aid in the rescue of Angel, but he had some questions of his own, like, '_Where in the Hell did Cordy get the information about me having the ability to help them out?_'

Xander - Hunter X Hunter - Xander - Hunter X Hunter

**THE END**

(...i...) I couldn't help myself. The job title comes from the movie version of "The Producers" with Nathan Lane and Mathew Broderick. Love that show!


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